U.S. patent number 4,592,740 [Application Number 06/678,062] was granted by the patent office on 1986-06-03 for vaginal sponge applicator.
Invention is credited to Nimetullah M. T. Mahruki.
United States Patent |
4,592,740 |
Mahruki |
June 3, 1986 |
Vaginal sponge applicator
Abstract
An applicator is provided which is adapted to insert a vaginal
sponge into a woman's vagina directly against the cervix. The
applicator comprises an outer barrel open at an upper end for
receiving and delivering a vaginal sponge against the cervix.
Piston means are further provided within the outer barrel and
include gripping means at one end thereof external of the barrel
and a piston head at the opposite end thereof internal within the
barrel. An ejector lever is pivotably mounted on the internally
contained piston head and is adapted to deliver the vaginal sponge
out of the barrel through the upper open end and directly against
the cervix at an angle relative to the applicator as the piston
head is caused to travel in the direction of the open upper end of
the barrel.
Inventors: |
Mahruki; Nimetullah M. T.
(Istanbul, TR) |
Family
ID: |
24721222 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/678,062 |
Filed: |
December 4, 1984 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/15;
128/838 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
13/26 (20130101); A61F 6/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
13/20 (20060101); A61F 13/26 (20060101); A61F
6/00 (20060101); A61F 6/12 (20060101); A61F
013/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;604/15,11,16,17,18,54,55,57,59,12,13,218 ;128/127-131 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Yasko; John D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sommer; Evelyn M.
Claims
Wherefore, I claim:
1. A reusable applicator adapted to insert a vaginal sponge
directly against a woman's cervix, said applicator comprising:
an outer barrel having an open upper end for receiving and
delivering a vaginal sponge directly against a woman's cervix;
piston means contained within said outer barrel, said piston means
including gripping means at one end thereof external of said barrel
and a piston head at the opposite end thereof internal within said
barrel, said piston head adapted to travel within said barrel
toward and away from said open upper end; and
ejector means pivotably mounted on said piston head, said ejector
means adapted to force said vaginal sponge out of said barrel
through said open upper end and deliver said sponge directly
against a woman's cervix at an angle relative to said applicator as
the piston head travels toward the open upper end of the
barrel.
2. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said barrel is open at both
its opposite upper and lower ends.
3. The applicator of claim 2 wherein a gripping flange is provided
about the lower open end of the barrel.
4. The applicator of claim 2 wherein the upper open end of said
barrel is tapered from a high point to a low point.
5. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said gripping means comprises
a T-shaped handle at the external end of the piston means.
6. The applicator of claim 5 wherein said piston head and said
gripping means are interconnected by a piston shaft.
7. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said ejector means comprise an
L-shaped ejector lever having upper and lower leg portions.
8. The applicator of claim 7 wherein said ejector lever is
pivotably connected to the piston head at a point along the lower
leg portion.
9. The applicator of claim 8 wherein a detent is provided on an
inside wall of the barrel.
10. The applicator of claim 9 wherein the detent is gradually
curved along a side thereof.
11. The applicator of claim 9 wherein the upper leg of the ejector
lever is adapted to be pivoted inwardly about said pivot when the
ejector lever contacts the detent as the piston head is inserted
into the barrel toward the upper open end.
12. The applicator of claim 11 wherein the upper leg of the ejector
lever is adapted to contact and deliver the vaginal sponge out of
the upper open end of the barrel at an angle relative to the
applicator as the piston head travels toward said upper open
end.
13. The applicator of claim 1 wherein the vaginal sponge adapted to
be inserted is a disc-shaped sponge.
14. The applicator of claim 13 wherein the disc-shaped sponge is
first pre-folded prior to insertion into the applicator.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a vaginal sponge
applicator and, more particularly, to such a vaginal sponge
applicator which may be used by an untrained person for the
self-application of vaginal sponges.
Devices heretofore used for the insertion of vaginal sponges into
the lowermost parts of the human vagina were oftentimes incapable
of being self-applied due to the complexity of their structure and
the possibility of damage to the vaginal mucosa if improperly used.
As such, these devices could only be used by a trained
professional. Other, less complex devices which did not present
such difficulties, were incapable of being sterilized prior to
insertion and, as such, were potential sources of infection.
Against the foregoing background, it is a primary object of the
present invention to provide a vaginal sponge applicator for
inserting a vaginal sponge into the lowermost part of the human
vagina and directly against the cervix.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an
applicator which is relatively simple in structure and which can be
used without the assistance of a trained professional.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such
an applicator which will not injure the vaginal mucosa during
use.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such
an application which is able to be sterilized prior to each
application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To the accomplishments of the foregoing objects and advantages, the
present invention, in brief summary, comprises an application
adapted to insert a vaginal sponge into a woman's vagina and
directly against the cervix. The applicator comprises an outer
barrel open at an upper end and adapted to receive a vaginal sponge
at the upper end and deliver the sponge directly against the cervix
at an angle relative to the applicator. Piston means are further
provided within the outer barrel for effecting delivery of the
sponge. The piston means include gripping means at one end thereof
and external to the barrel and a piston head at the opposite end
thereof internal within the barrel. The piston head is adapted to
travel within the barrel toward and away from the open upper end.
Ejector lever means are pivotably mounted on the internally
contained piston head and are adapted to force the vaginal sponge
out of the barrel through the upper end as the piston head is
caused to travel toward the open upper end. Due to the pivotable
action of ejector lever, the sponge is delivered directly against
the cervix at an angle relative to the applicator.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and still other objects and advantages of the present
invention will be more apparent from the following detailed
explanation of the preferred embodiments of the invention in
connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevational view of the applicator of
the present invention in a loaded position;
FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevational view of the application as
it delivers the vaginal sponge directly against a woman's
cervix;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the vaginal sponge in a folded-over
position ready for loading into the applicator of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the vaginal sponge in a fully open
position; and
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The applicator of the present invention, referred to generally by
reference numeral 10, includes an elongated tubular outer barrel 12
which contains a movable piston 20 provided therein. Elongated
tubular barrel 12 is open at its opposite upper and lower ends 13A
and 13, respectively. A gripping flange 14 is provided about the
lower end 13 of the barrel to facilitate gripping by the user
during use. The piston 20 is adapted to be inserted into the barrel
12 through the lower end 13 thereof. The upper end 13A of the outer
barrel 12 is angled or tapered from an upper edge 16 to a lower
edge 15 to facilitate insertion of the upper end 13A of the barrel
12 into the vagina of a woman and to permit the applicator 10 to
generally conform to the woman's cervix 50 as shown in FIG. 2. A
detent 17 is provided on the interior wall of the barrel 12,
preferably positioned below the upper edge 16 and approximately
across from the lower edge 15 of the upper end 13A of the barrel.
The lower portion of the detent 17 is gradually curved.
Moveable piston 20 includes an elongated shaft 21 having a gripping
device 22 provided at one end thereof and a head 24 at its opposte
end. The gripping device 22 is located external to the barrel 12
and the piston head 24 is generally located internally within the
barrel 12. Gripping device 22 constitutes a T-shaped handle. The
head 24 which is provided at the opposite end of the shaft 21 is
generally U-shaped with a diameter substantially equal and slightly
less than the interior diameter of the barrel 12. The head 24 of
the piston 20 is adapted to be travel within the barrel 12 toward
and away from the open upper end 13A of the barrel 12 by the force
exerted by the user on the gripping device 22 of the piston 20.
A generally circular or disc shaped vaginal sponge 40 is shown in
an unfolded top view in FIG. 5 and in a sectional view in FIG. 6.
The vaginal sponge 40 is adapted to be folded in half as shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 and is inserted into the upper end 13A of the barrel
20 until it comes into contact generally with the head 24 of the
piston 20. As the open upper end 13A of the barrel 12 is tapered or
angled, the sponge 40, in a loaded position in the barrel 12, is
left partly uncovered. It will, of course, be appreciated that
vaginal sponges of different shapes and configurations may be used
in conjunction with the applicator 10 of the present invention,
provided, of course, that the sponge can be inserted into and
delivered from the open upper end 13A of the barrel 12.
An ejector lever 30 is further provided in the applicator 10 and is
pivotably connected to the head 24 of the piston 20. The ejector
lever 30, which is generally L-shaped with opposed upper and lower
legs 30A and 30B, respectively, is pivotably connected along the
lower leg 30B thereof to the head 24 of the piston 20 by pivot 32.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as the piston 20 travels upwardly in the
barrel 12 with the piston head 24 traveling toward the upper open
end 13A, the upper leg 30A of the ejector 30 passes along the
inside wall of the barrel 20 until it comes in contact with the
curved lower portion of the detent 17. Upon further insertion of
the piston 20 into the barrel 12, the upper leg 30A of the ejector
30 is caused to pivot inwardly about pivot 32 and force the sponge
40 out of the barrel 12 against the cervix 50 of the woman. It will
be appreciated that the use of the ejector 30 permits the
applicator 10 of the present invention to deliver the sponge 40 at
an angle relative to the angle of insertion of the barrel 12 into
the vagina and, in this manner, apply the sponge 40 directly
against the woman's cervix 50. Over-insertion of the piston 20 into
the barrel 12 is prevented as the detent 17 acts as a stop when it
contacts the head 24 of the piston 20.
It will be appreciated that the applicator 10 of the present
invention is adapted to function in the following manner. The
sponge 40 is first folded over as shown in FIG. 3 and then
introduced or otherwise loaded into the barrel 12 of the applicator
10 through the open upper end 13A thereof. During loading of the
sponge 40 into the applicator 10, the piston head 24 is retracted
in the direction of lower end 13 by the user grasping the gripping
device 22 and pulling it outwardly from the barrel 12. Upon loading
of the sponge 40 into the open upper end 13A, the barrel 12 is then
inserted into the vagina of the woman with the open upper end 13A
positioned relative to the woman's cervix 50. Thumb pressure is
then applied against the gripping device 22 at the end of the
piston 20 which causes the piston head 24 to move toward the upper
open end 13A of the barrel 12. As the piston head 24 moves toward
the open upper end 13A, the upper leg 30A of the ejector 30
contacts the detent 17 on the inside wall of the barrel 12 causing
the upper leg 30A of the ejector lever 30 to turn inwardly as the
lower leg 30B pivots about pivot 32. The upper leg 30A of the
ejector lever then forces the sponge 40 out of the end of the
barrel 12 and against the cervix 50. The pivoting action of the
ejector lever 30 causes the sponge 40 to be delivered at an angle
relative to the cervix 50.
After delivery of the sponge 40 against the vaginal cervix 50, the
piston head 24 is withdrawn into the barrel 12 and the applicator
10 is removed from the vagina leaving the sponge 40 in place
against the cervix 50.
It will be appreciated that the applicator 10 can then be reused
with a new sponge after sterilization thereof.
Having thus described the invention with particular reference to
the preferred forms thereof, it will be obvious that various
changes and modifications may be made therein without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
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